Collision damaged vehicle bodies must be accurately measured to enable skilled persons to repair the collision damage. Initially, measurements are made between a number of pre-selected points on a collision damaged vehicle. The measurements so made are checked against the vehicle manufacturer's specifications for an undamaged vehicle to obtain an indication of the extent of the collision damage. Known techniques are then used to repair the collision damage by forcing the damaged vehicle body back into its original configuration as defined by the manufacturer's specifications. Further measurements are made as the repair work progresses to enable skilled repairmen performing the repair work to assess the effect of their efforts and control the repair procedures. When the collision damage has been repaired, final measurements are made to check that the vehicle body has been returned to its original shape and configuration as defined by the manufacturer's specifications.
Various measuring systems have been provided for use in collision repair shops. However, these have proved extremely awkward to use. Typically, for example, known vehicle measurement apparatus cannot readily be connected to a collision damaged vehicle, due to the presence of obstructions such as the vehicle clamping and support apparatus used to hold the damaged vehicle in a fixed position while repair work is done. The inventor has found that skilled collision repair workers often ignore expensive conventional measuring systems of this sort, preferring to rely on a simple tape measure rather than having to fumble with an awkward measuring system which requires a lot of cumbersome set-up time. However, tape measures do not facilitate measurement accuracy of the degree required to repair collision damage to many modern vehicles. Such prior art measuring systems are also inconvenient to use because they typically require the repairman to take measurements at a number of different points around the perimeter of the damaged vehicle, thus requiring the repairman to continually move around the vehicle while taking measurements.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a measuring apparatus of highly simplified construction which may be readily utilized with virtually any collision damaged vehicle. The preferred embodiment of the invention provides an extremely compact measuring apparatus which may be easily fitted to most collision damaged vehicles in spite of the presence of vehicle clamping and support systems, exhaust systems, or other obstructions which frequently interfere with known vehicle measuring systems. Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a measuring apparatus which enables the operator to align the measuring apparatus with respect to the vehicle and take all measurement readings without moving from the front of the vehicle, thus greatly simplifying use of the apparatus and expediting collision repair procedures.